Marthijn Uittenbogaard

Marthijn Uittenbogaard

Marthijn Uittenbogaard (b. Leiden, 21 April 1972) is an MAP activist of the first wave, who is still presently active, but currently incarcerated in Ecuador with his partner. He is former chairman and cofounder of the Dutch political party - PNVD, and has also long held positions in the now banned Vereniging MARTIJN (including being chair). He gained some fame after he came out as a pedophile (a Boylover), however he is also attracted to adults and has an adult partner. Uittenbogaard, the son of a Farmer, is known for his lack of fear and uncompromising style of activism - preferring to stand his ground according to a firm set of values rather than seek compromise or appeasement.

Uittenbogaard was born into a prosperous Leiden Christian family with four children. His mother was 26 years younger than his father, who was the stricter parent. In 2009, together with co-PNVD founder Norbert de Jonge, he published the book, De rede in het nauw. In addition, he has participated in debates, contributed to the weblog of de Volkskrant, appeared in videos on YouTube, contributed to numerous TV programs, news media columns, and his own wiki. Uittenbogaard was guest editor of the May 6 2021 issue of Propria Cures, a Dutch Magazine well-known for taking a hard line on freedom of expression.

Harassment

Uittenbogaard's positions have often inspired extreme harassment. Uittenbogaard had to deal with graffiti, demonstrations, vandalism, assault and threats against him. He has regularly received death threats, and windows of his home were smashed with fireworks, on one occasion causing a facial injury. He has installed a camera at his home and mounted polycarbonate sheets on his windows in response to one event involving a 200-strong mob, assembled with the permission of his local Mayor. Both Rabobank and ABN AMRO have refused him a bank account.

Pre-2021 Timeline

• In 2006, a debate between him and Michiel Smit was canceled because the organizer could not guarantee the safety of participants and visitors.
• In July 2011, after ongoing abuse, he asked Prime Minister Mark Rutte for protective measures. In his own words, he has asked for camera security several times but has never received it, although he did receive a panic button so he could alert the police if he was under attack.
• In 2013, he had to be released by the police after he was attacked in Deventer. That same month, the police responded to a demonstration at a flat in Deventer where Uittenbogaard was located.
• In May, 2020, his friend Norbert de Jonge repelled the attentions of a knife-wielding, maniacal intruder at Uittenbogaard's flat in Hengelo. The intruder escaped, but was later found with a bloody hand and received a small sentence.

Gallery

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  Protest gathered outside of the house

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  Graffiti

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  Vigilance Campaign

2021 Prosecution and following events

In March 2021, Uittenbogaard announced that he, de Jonge, Ad van den Berg and Nelson Maatman were being prosecuted for allegedly participating in a criminal organisation. The evidence offered by the prosecution is spurious, alleging that Twitter comments and the maintenance of an academic website constitute the continuation of an organisation deemed 'criminal' under a highly controversial Dutch law. On 12 March, 2022, a Dutch court sentenced both De Jonge and Uittenbogaard to 4 and 6 month prison sentences for continuing Martijn's political activities. Uittenbogaard was said to have fled to Mexico, along with his partner, Lesley (Maatman had already fled and started the asylum process).

In June, 2022, following an investigation into Nelson Maatman, who had been arrested in Mexico after seeking asylum there, it was revealed that Uittenbogaard and his partner Lesley had moved to Ecuador, supposedly purchasing a hotel. Allegations have been made against Uittenbogaard and his partner, concerning "parties" with minors at his residence, and Youth Erotica. Concomitant with the third-tier reputation of the NGO "partnership" and legal systems/media organs from which these accusations have emerged, they must be viewed with a great deal of suspicion at this stage. Images were supposedly found on Uittenbogaard's device in spite of having never been convicted of a "sexual" offense during his roughly 20-year career as an activist. His arrest was also 2 weeks after the arrest of Maatman - giving him plentiful time to ensure he was legally compliant. It has already been revealed that De Jonge did not flee the Netherlands, and had clearance to visit the political refugees. Uittenbogaard, still under detention, has also since stated that the charges are completely false:

[Translation from Dutch Twitter comments on Jul 17, 2022] "Woman finds out who I am. Make up fantasy story on Facebook about swimming pool. Building doesn't even have a pool. Children found in same building but different apartment. Just lived there. [...] Locked up without charge. Without seeing a judge. Without calling a lawyer for weeks. Innocent fixed. @amnestynl does nothing. [...] The Netherlands started criminalizing me because of citing scientific studies. Telling the truth is a crime. @amnestynl does nothing. Subsidy guzzling binoculars. [...] I don't want to die at fifty. I'm totally innocent. Prisoners no problem except the M. who are in charge here."

Reactions within the MAP community have ranged from muted, to incredulous, with respect to the decision of activists to flee the Netherlands as fugitives. One contact of Uittenbogaard stated:

I remember meeting him very well. He was, at the time at least, an extremely calm, focused and level-headed person who suppressed his emotions very well. People can go insane over time, especially when faced with the stress that Marthijn had to deal with, but I find it very hard to imagine him, with such a target on his back, buying a hotel and using it to lure children for sex.

Uittenbogaard's Twitter account was cited as suspended on the 27th of August, despite containing important testimony concerning what he claims is an injustice. His personal site was then suspended by his service provider, following what he claims was a court order months earlier in the wake of the MARTIJN case. It is unclear whether Uittenbogaard informed others before persisting with the banned website.

According to Uittenbogaard's partner Lesley (incarcerated with him on similar trumped-up charges in Ecuador, courtesy of O.U.R.):

I heard that the children were detained by the police for 24 hours when I was arrested. And that they were repeatedly threatened with being beaten with batons. When they were hungry, they were not given food. Police were eating in front of the children, and laughing at them. Their parents sat outside crying. And it is understood that the police here are known to be violent. Tim Ballard was always there. And he threatened the parents several times. The problem is that if you report these things publicly, it is very risky. Tim Ballard can operate with impunity in these countries. With the money he has, he can wrap the police and the OM around his finger. And people don't dare stand up for themselves.

Investigative Journalist, A.H.J. Dautzenberg has revealed that Tim Ballard received a national award from the wife of the president of Mexico for dismantling 'the network' of Marthijn, Lesley and Nelson. In a February 2023 article, he went on to state: "Reports also reached Martijn and Lesley that Ballard had paid witnesses to give false statements; if they refused - these friends had pointed out that Lesley and Marthijn were innocent - he threatened them with trial and imprisonment. They also heard that Americans in contact with Ballard were offering money to have them killed." According to Lesley, Ballard, a conservative Mormon, was present at his arrest, dressed in a police uniform and equipped with a machine gun.

The legal appeal is ongoing, with a date scheduled for March.

Video

• Short segment in English.

External Links

• Personal site: marthijn.nl (currently censored, may be archived). Currently seeking legal advice re linking an archive.
• Wikipedia - Translated from NL Wikipedia. Dutch sources within.
• Tom O'Carroll - 2020 article in English.
• Google translation - With some background from around 2013, when he was under considerable physical threat. Journalist: Joris van Casteren.